SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 



423 



claim to the overlordship. The greater por- 

 tion of the book recounts the deeds of Robert 

 the Bruce, the national hero. His coronation 

 as King of Scots, in 1306, marked an epoch 

 in Scottish history. Become king of a coun- 

 try that was claimed by the English Edward, 

 and surrounded by only a small band of faith- 

 ful followers, Bruce virtually had to con- 

 quer his realm foot by foot, until the decisive 

 battle of Bannockburn, in 1314, forced the 

 English to acknowledge his sovereignty. The 

 many exciting adventures of the landless 

 king, and his daring and personal bravery, 

 are well set forth in some of the most inter- 

 esting chapters of the book. 



Among the papers submitted in competi- 

 tion for the Hodgkins Fund prizes and pub- 

 lished by the Smithsonian Institution is one 

 on Atmospheric Actinometry, by E. Duclaux. 

 The chemical radiations of the sun do not 

 behave within our atmosphere in the same 

 way as the heat and light rays. This is in- 

 dicated by the differing effects on the pho- 

 tographer's plate on days equally luminous, 

 and by the rapid progress of vegetation in 

 high latitudes as compared with temperate 

 regions. The investigations which M. Du- 

 claux describes are based upon determina- 

 tions of the oxidation of solutions of oxalic 

 acid exposed to the sunshine under a wide 

 variety of conditions. 



In the introduction to The Story of the 

 Birds, by James Newton Baskett, M. A., As- 

 sociate Member of the American Ornitho- 

 logical Union (New York : D. Appleton and 

 Company, 1897, 65 cents), one of Apple- 

 tons' Home-Reading Books, the editor of the 

 series, Dr. W. T. Harris, points out the two 

 movements of the new education original 

 observation and verifying by experiment on 

 the part of the pupil, and systematic home 

 reading to supplement class-room instruction. 

 " A library of home reading should contain 

 books that stimulate to self-activity and 

 arouse the spirit of inquiry. The books 

 should treat of methods of discovery and 

 evolution. All Nature is unified by the dis- 

 covery of the law of evolution." In keeping 

 with the aims here set forth, The Story of the 

 Birds gives a brief account of the evolution 

 of the bird, as far as such can be traced by 

 means of the present characteristics of the 

 feathered race. Beginning with the bird's 



fore leg, popularly known as the wing, which 

 is an important factor in determining its past 

 history, the author goes on to the discussion 

 of the bird's raiment, its outer wraps and its 

 underwear, its " frills and furbelows." We 

 have chapters devoted to the wooing and 

 mating of birds, to nest-building and nesting 

 habits, to birds' eggs and the rearing of the 

 young. Various habits of grown-up birds 

 are touched upon, their expedients in getting 

 a living, their tools and tasks, the way they 

 go to bed, and their manner of travel. In 

 the last two chapters hints are given for 

 recognizing and classifying the different spe- 

 cies. Scientifically accurate, yet free from 

 technicalities forbidding to the uninitiated, 

 the book, written in a pleasing style, recom- 

 mends itself not only to the young student, 

 but also to the general reader who, as a lover 

 of birds, wants more than a passing acquaint- 

 ance with them. It is profusely illustrated. 

 An analysis of the chapters, with study hints, 

 and an index, add to its usefulness. 



In a pamphlet entitled A New Dairy In- 

 dustry a process for preparing sterilized milk 

 for infants is described by James Fred. Sarg 

 (the author, Kempsville, Va., 80 cents). Mr. 

 Sarg writes for the farmer, who, he says, 

 is best situated for preparing a suitable in- 

 fants' milk and should have the profit of the 

 industry. Whether discoursing of the oper- 

 ation of milking, the mortality of infants, or 

 the details and apparatus of the process that 

 he describes, Mr. Sarg writes with vigor and 

 an evident mastery of his subject. His pam- 

 phlet is illustrated with figures of machines 

 and other appliances. 



An inaugural discourse before the Royal 

 Academy of Sciences of Havana, on the 

 study of spectroscopy (Introduction al Estu- 

 dio de la Espectroscopid), by Dr. Gaston 

 Alonso Cuadrado, of the medical corps of the 

 Spanish army, presents a clear and carefully 

 elaborate summary of the theory and prop- 

 erties of light as illustrated by the latest 

 discoveries, including a brief account of the 

 Rontgen rays. 



Rules for Regulating Nomenclature in 

 Entomological Work, compiled by Lord 

 Walsingham and John Hartley Durrant, of 

 Merton Hall, Thetford, England, and pub- 

 lished by Longmans & Co. (20 cents), have 

 been prepared with a view to securing a 



